Alexandra Gardner | Building Noises

This post is horribly late, given that these events happened last week, which is now officially last month, but better late than never, right?
First of all, there was an amazing concert in Seattle! This was one of the very best premieres of a new work that I have ever experienced. Sometimes I am so nervous [...]

One of the things I adore about the Baltimore Contemporary Museum’s Mobtown Modern concert series is how much thought and creativity directors Brian Sacawa and Erik Spangler put into the themes of the concerts. Of course there is a thread weaving the pieces on the program together, but what makes the concerts extra special are [...]

Hi Everyone! It’s nice to be finished with another round of Composer Lockdown and out in the sunlight! I’ve just posted the recording of Bloom that Joshua and I made in the recording studio last month. We had so much fun. Enjoy!

….because I think I may have died and gone to new music heaven. Are we still in DC???
(Jonathan gets full credit for the title of this post, btw)
Sadly I will be out of town for more than half of this glorious contemporary music week at the Kennedy Center, but you all better get over there [...]

For your reading pleasure! There are now program notes on the website for Banyan, for orchestra, and Bloom for cello and boombox. Stand by for recordings too!
Last Monday Joshua Roman premiered Bloom at The Flea Theater in NYC to a big, wonderfully responsive audience. I couldn’t be happier about the performance! Even though it did [...]

Okay, whew! Lifting my head up for a quick gulp of air between finishing one musical project and continuing to another in progress….too fried to write much at the moment, but I promise there will be details after This Next Thing and taxes!
First of all, Thank You to those of you who have been commenting! [...]

So a few months ago I served as a panelist for an electroacoustic music competition. It was fun, and quite revealing, and I found myself oscillating (ahem) between joyful giddiness and abject horror as I listened to a big pile of recordings. I’ve been trying to concoct a witty, Letterman-style top ten list that would [...]

Life since that last post has been quite the adventure! In the pre-dawn hours of December 12th, I awoke to the most extraordinary noise, that went something like this:

*CRACK!*
SSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHcracklecrackleSSSSSHHHHHHHcracklessssssssssss
*BOOOOMmmmmm!*
Repeat every 20-ish seconds

That is the sound of trees falling. Weighted down by a thick coat of ice, thanks to the “wintry mix” that had been falling [...]

We actually talk about these things! Place a group of artists together in a beautiful rural setting, provide optimal working conditions, amazing food, treat them in every way like gold, and the most amazing dialogue is bound to happen. Every artist here has inspired, surprised, challenged and delighted me in one way or another – [...]

It’s totally 150% cliche, but… I love New York! Honestly. When I’m there I buy into the frenzy and run around from meeting to meeting to friend visit to concert to meeting to another friend visit to whatever else comes up to….! I always return to DC completely exhausted and oversensitized and inspired and buzzing [...]